Jimmy Dean, RIP

Scott has the music beat around here, of course, but he is out of commission for the weekend, and we can’t let Jimmy Dean’s death pass unnoticed. Dean is the only person, to my knowledge, who had a successful career in both the country music and pork sausage industries. He is best remembered for his 1961 hit, “Big Bad John.” Here it is, if you are too young to remember it:

At this point, it seems like an artifact of a lost civilization. Dean’s second career as a pork sausage magnate accounted for most of his wealth. He came by his knowledge of pork honestly; as a boy, he slaughtered hogs for his mother, who turned them into sausage. Dean’s hardscrabble youth made him determined to get wealthy and stay wealthy:

Having watched other stars fritter away their fortunes, Dean said he learned to be careful with his money.
“I’ve seen so many people in this business that made a fortune,” he told the AP. “They get old and broke and can’t make any money. … I tell you something, … no one’s going to play a benefit for Jimmy Dean.”

That last is a noble sentiment, eloquently expressed. Jimmy Dean, RIP.